In a public park I chanced to be seated beside a man to whom I presented a gospel tract. He looked it over, and then we had a conversation as near the substance of what follows as I can remember. He said:
“I have read the Bible for myself; I have heard lots of preachers of all kinds, and have attended revival meetings, I do not believe in any of these things; I do not believe in God.”
“Well,” I replied, “you will have to believe in Him yet; there are no infidels in hell. When death comes, then you will find out that there is a God. It is about such as you that it is written,
‘How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment, they are utterly consumed with terrors.’” (Psa. 73:19).
“O!” said he, “it is all a delusion.”
“Well, you are a poor man. I can see you have no happiness now, and you never will have any. You have no true object to live for. If what the Christian believes is true, you are a doomed man for all eternity; if even it were a delusion, he is better off than you are, for the Christian is happy now in the knowledge that his sins are forgiven, and that God is his Father.” But I said, “Hearken, I saw my mother die. She died, as she had lived for years before, trusting the Lord, and willing to be absent from the body and present with the Lord. Was that a delusion? It would be a good thing for you to have such a delusion.
“Let me tell you a little about myself. Up till I was twenty years of age I lived carelessly. At that age I was converted to God, I owned I was a sinner, and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. What was the result? Christ gave me power over my ways, and henceforth He became my object.
I did not want the devil’s music and dancing and card playing and entertainments. I had music and dancing that belonged to heaven (Luke 15:24, 25). I believed that my sins were washed away by the precious blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5); that I was a child of God (1 John 3:1). And now I am trying to tell you how you can have the same blessings.
“Do you call that a delusion? I tell you again it is what you need. You need the grace of God in your soul, then you will know what a happy reality conversion is.”
The man arose and walked away from me without another word; while I inwardly prayed that the delusion that was holding him spellbound under the power of Satan, might be broken, and given place to ears to hear the Word of God, and eyes to see the beauty of Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God, the only Saviour.
“What think ye of Christ? is the test
To try both your state and your scheme;
You cannot be right in the rest
Unless you think rightly of Him.”
“The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7).